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Description
Note that there are two editions of Saga.
Saga 1st edition was released in 2011.
Saga 2nd edition was released in 2018.
For more information about the second edition of Saga (aka Saga II or Saga v2), you can Click Here.
Gripping Beast's Dark Ages miniatures skirmish. Each side has between 25 to 73 miniatures, organised into groups of 4-12 figures. Miniatures are classed as Hearthguard, Warriors, or Levy, and an army comprises of 4 or 6 points of units (1 point = 4 Hearthguard, 8 Warriors, or 12 Levy figures).
Each faction - Anglo-Danish, Viking, Welsh, Norman - has its own battleboard of command options, which are selected depending on the roll of your Saga Dice. Saga Dice have special icons and give your command choices for the turn.
Combat and shooting are simple and based on six-sided dice rolls, the real challenge is to use the options from your battleboard as effectively as possible. The core game comes with a battleboard for the four main factions, with future battleboard releases intended to cover other armies/factions.
Year Published
2011
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 3
This page: 3
Sentiment:
pos 1 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–3 of 3
Video 1RmWZTkaQW0
John Gets Games playthrough at 0:56 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 6672 · mention_pk 19860
Click to watch at 0:56 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Snappy turns and quick rounds
- Accessible, lightweight euro design
- Castle abilities add variety and strategic tension
- Two-player play is compact and approachable
- End-game timing can be tense and rewarding
- Potential for variety with different decks and castle abilities
Cons
- Can feel chaotic and highly memory-dependent (fame remembering can punish forgetfulness)
- At 2 players, only a single attacking force can be formed at a time, limiting depth
- End-game scoring can hinge on kept track of points, which can be error-prone
- Some players may find it overly zero-sum or repetitive with two players
- Rule memory (e.g., when you gain/lose fame or scores) can cause frustration
Thematic elements
- feudal conquest with light fantasy elements
- Medieval kingdoms contending for castles across a shared map
- light, emergent narrative driven by card play and position
Comparison games
- Saga (2-player variant)
- Dusty Euros (category of older Euro games)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Attacking Force formation — On your turn you place a card to start or extend an attacking force; the card color determines the target kingdom.
- Castle abilities — Each castle provides ongoing or one-time effects (defense bonus, returning a card to hand, or special abilities when conquered).
- Conquest by overpowering defense — If the attacking force is stronger than the defending force, you conquer the kingdom and its castle card shifts to defending status.
- End-game scoring — Ends when a player plays their last card; scoring accounts for conquered kingdoms, Fame, and penalties for unused cards in hand.
- Fame economy and enlistment — Players gain Fame each turn from their castles; Fame can be spent to enlist knights or to influence future placements.
- hand management — Each player starts with a hand of 12 cards; when kingdoms are conquered, defending cards go to the attackers' side and may return to hands, creating cyclical value from won/returned cards.
- Shadowlands / one-time abilities — A faction or card with a one-time ability (e.g., adding a card to a defending force) that can be used once per game.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Snappy turns
- I'm so good at this game
- it's like chess
- it's nonsense if you're not actually taking your points
- this is a 19 year old game
- we're beginners
- this game is nonsense if you're not actually taking your points
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video xfYP-S_mIy8
Unknown Channel general_discussion at 3:52 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 5968 · mention_pk 17705
Click to watch at 3:52 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- historical skirmish warfare
- historical/skirmish
Comparison games
- Infinity
- Wrath of Kings
- Dark Age
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I like to play a lot of demos when I go to conventions just because of what I'm doing here on the channel.
- Be it Adepticon or Gen Con, so be it.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 0BvMMMeoios
general_discussion at 33:12 sentiment: positive
video_pk 488 · mention_pk 1431
Click to watch at 33:12 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Historically flavored and accessible scale
- Solid gateway to larger games in the same universe
Cons
- Historical/legendary mix may not appeal to all fantasy players
Thematic elements
- Historical/fantasy mix with mythic elements
- Viking-era skirmish warfare
- Historically flavored with some fantasy twists
Comparison games
- Ragnarök
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dark-age skirmish combat with fatigue and support rules — Base-to-base contact, unit cohesion, and board-based tactical play
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Gaslands is a very cool game and it's like 20 bucks
- it's going to be probably more accessible to more people certainly
- I really like the kind of bidding system about how you who goes first
- you can't take Kill Team rules for most models too which is cool
- it's almost like X-wing Star Wars X-wing
- Gaslands is a very cool game and it's like 20 bucks and you go to town
- Kill Team is the way to go... it's the next logical step
- it's not about swapping a lot of weapons as much anymore
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–3 of 3